With humility, openness, and emotion, Mark Nay shared his own story of homelessness at the annual St. Francis Peace Through Justice Ministry-Jubilee Garden Parish Potluck. His presentation will be posted on the parish website. For him, it began in adolescence with feelings of being disconnected from his family and friends, his life and even from himself. Then came a marriage, two kids, and a good job, interlaced with substance abuse and mental health issues. Next came a divorce and bankruptcy, the loss of his life as he had known it. Soon it was couch surfing, treatment centers – five in all, shelters, nights in jail and the streets – witnessing trauma and experiencing trauma. He recalled the first time he went to God’s Love and the shame he felt walking through that door: “I never thought I would be that guy.” And how disheartening it was to have people turn their heads away the one and only time he held a sign on a street corner. He shared how moved he was when a woman, now his boss, took him in, fed him and let him stay in her home. She treated him with dignity and respect.
Sometimes grace and redemption come in our darkest hour. Mark described the night when he had a completely unexpected, transforming experience of being loved by God which took him from “I’m a bad guy in a good and bad world” to “I’m a fallible human being created and loved by a Higher Power, living in this world just like everyone else.” For the first time he sensed his own goodness and began to have a vision that he could change. And so began his recovery. He testified to the ongoing power of the wisdom and companionship of the 12 Step programs in his recovering process.
Mark’s years on the street make him uniquely qualified to serve as GSM’s Street Outreach Coordinator. He walks the streets of Helena every day looking for people who are homeless and unsheltered. Without judgement, he builds bonds of trust with each individual, which often begin with a brief hello and develop over time. He connects people with needed services as they are ready to accept them. He told of the extreme physical, emotional and spiritual suffering people experience living on the street, which is sometimes life threatening. Recently he searched for a man with severe mental illness that he hadn’t seen for a while. When Mark found him, he was unable to care for himself and his physical condition was dire. Because of the relationship Mark had with him, Mark was able to get him to accept the lifesaving treatment he needed. Mark and the Street Outreach Ministry truly serve, as we are called to do, the most vulnerable among us.
“Homeless people are beautiful people.” – Mark Nay
“When Jesus comes, he’s not going to look like me.” -Dave Krainacker
Watch Mark Nay’s presentation at our parish: https://youtu.be/V0ANxyrxRKE
Want to help?
Please donate socks, gloves, hats and can openers. Contact Mark Nay at 406-558-9946 or take them to the desk inside the Good Samaritan Ministries Thrift Store at 3067 N. Montana Ave.
